Arona was never a favorite for a majority of MMA fans. He was hard
to root for because of his surly attitude and grinding style, but
the path he took to defeat the legendary Sakuraba in Japan elicited
a rash of venom from virtually everybody in the sport.

Sakuraba whiffed on a a double-leg takedown in the second round and
ate a kick to the face for his troubles. When Sakuraba turned away,
Arona again kicked him in the face, the Brazilian’s toenail
slashing open the skin above his left eye. “The Gracie Hunter”
eventually pulled guard, but Arona took his right hand, squeezed
Sakuraba’s cut and dug his finger into it.

All Sakuraba could do was lay there and wait for Arona to finish
examining his handiwork. When Arona completed his turn in
Operation, Sakuraba had his cuts looked at by the ringside
physician and was eventually deemed unfit to continue in between
rounds two and three.